Please Write a Post for the Chamber Blog –
One That People Might Read

• Get a link back to your website, which helps your Google profile, just a little

In this short article we’ll explore how best to present your post to suit this particular blog.

Submission Guidelines

How to Present Your Post

The Chamber blog formats posts in a particular way. It takes the title and the first 55 words or so and uses them to form an entry in the blog index, the contents list. So:

Keep your title short, maximum 40 characters including spaces and punctuation; otherwise, the blog software will truncate it in an unpredictable way

It will use the first 50-55 words, after the title, to summarise your post in the index, so summarise your post at the beginning

If possible, provide an image, a photo or a diagram, that illustrates your message

For the credits, include a short biography, your logo or head-shot, and a link to your website

You could use the title and the first 50 words to provide a synopsis of your post. If you prefer, write a separate abstract of about the same length, and send that with your post.

This summary, along with your image, appears in the index, though only the title will be formatted. The title and summary also appear on the Chamber home page until another post is added.

This way, your post will attract readers, who will be able to asses quickly whether they want to read it.

Appearance: Make it Look Attractive

Internet users are notoriously impatient. All sorts of things will make them ignore the post, or click off it after a couple of seconds. Here’s a quick ticklist for post authors:

Write a synopsis, make it punchy and interesting

Include an appropriate picture or diagram, the more eye-catching the better

Make sure the first paragraph supports your synopsis, so readers know they’ve arrived at the correct page

Introduce the subject completely in the opening paragraph, to hook readers in if they’re interested

A dense, uninterrupted block of text is off-putting, so break it up with headings, bullet points, diagrams and similar devices

Some Other Do’s and Don’ts

The Chamber aims to support Portishead businesses, so please bear this in mind:

Posts should be useful to readers in the local business community

Write to inform, not overtly to sell

Ideally, posts should be original and unique, or explain an issue in a new way

Send us an image to enhance and support your post, a photo, sketch or diagram…NB: use the same image when you mention it on social media, so you don’t confuse readers who arrive at your post from there

About the Author

Chris Fielden has written lots of web pages. He is a local blogger, writer, musician, biker, and he runs an on-line resource for short story authors.